Learning From Innocence
by Katers
Summary: Her whole life Sango is taught to kill all demons before they kill others, so what is she supposed to do when one demon she finds becomes attached to her?Will motherly instincts overrule her years of warrior training, or will her loss blind her from love?
1. Change

A.N.: Okay, my first Inuyasha fic. I always said to myself not to write one 'cause I've only seen the first, what is it, 52 episodes? I felt like I didn't know enough about the show. And yet, here I am... Well, I guess that's why I'm making it an AU sort of. Yeah, I'm cheating :P The main character is Sango, but she doesn't know Inuyasha, the others, or anything about the Shikon no Tama. I dunno if I'm even gonna put that thing in this story. It's not important. Aw, well. I'll figure it out as I go. And as far as pairings go.. Well, there'll probably be none (weird, huh? Then again, that's not a promise). But Sesshoumaru and Naraku are gonna be in here, somewheres.. Maybe Kouga too, I dunno.  
  
Story explanation: Sango is a highly acclaimed demon exterminator (no change there). When her family is killed off, she devotes her time to traveling to other territories to help others with their demon problems (still no real change). Her whole life Sango is taught to kill all demons before they kill others, so what is she supposed to do when one demon she finds becomes attached to her? Will motherly instincts overrule her years of warrior training? Or will the loss of her family blind her from love? So basically, Sango hates any and all demons (so no Kirara, sorry). But that's the purpose of this: to change her heart.  
  
Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine. What else can I say?  
  
~`~`~`~  
  
Light pierced through the spaces in between the trees and their infinite number of thin leaves throwing slices of orange sunset rays across the earth. One ray in particular lay across a young girl lying beneath a large tree, her eyes closed; her chest rising and falling softly in the steady rhythm of sleep. She seemed completely at peace and oblivious to the world, the wind carrying sweet scents to her sleeping form.  
  
Suddenly a new scent flowed over the grasses, a scent not present before but one the girl new well.  
  
Blood.  
  
Her eyes shot open and she jumped to her feet. Her gaze darted to the east where her village lay just beyond the trees. Snatching up her pack, staff, and hiraikotsu, Sango sprinted as fast as she could over the hill and past the oak and sakura trees, across the creek and under the rock arch; she finally reached the ledge overlooking her home, and the sight that met her eyes made her blood run cold.  
  
She had known there might be demons in the village when she got to it, but not as many as she saw then. Every hut was demolished, every wagon splintered to pieces; the horses were lying dead in the streets, the people running about trying to escape or fight off the remaining youkai as best they could. With the number of exterminators dwindling, Sango charged down the slope seizing the giant boomerang from her back. At first step into the village, she hurled the boomerang high up and sliced a large serpent youkai on a roof in half. On its return, hiraikotsu decapitated a spider youkai threatening an injured fighter. Sango braced herself and caught the boomerang deftly with one hand and ran to the man's side aiding him in rising to his feet and reclaiming his weapon.  
  
"Where's my father, Jiro?" Sango asked, her tone quick and stern.  
  
The man, grunted as he hefted his sword up, "I think I last saw him at the north end of the village."  
  
"Thanks," she called back over her shoulder as she sprinted again to where she hoped her father still fought.  
  
Dodging a falling beam and a lashing centipede demon, Sango hurtled over rubble wondering on the brink of panic, 'Why are all these youkai attacking _here_?!'  
  
Skidding around one last corner, she came in sight of her father. He stood braced with his glaive back to back with Sango's younger brother, Kohaku. Each had their faces set in a grimace as three giant lizard youkai closed in on them. Sango, tripping over debris, ran as fast as she could to their aid. Knowing she couldn't get there in time, she brought the boomerang back into her grip.  
  
"Hiraikotsu!" She flung the weapon as hard as she could; it soared and spun through the air taking off the heads of two of the lizard demons, missing the third.  
  
Sango ran forward and caught the boomerang on its return, its momentum carrying her back several feet. She then ran to her family's side and helped finish off the remaining youkai. The three stood there panting for a moment as Sango's father welcomed her back.  
  
"Glad you could join us, Sango. We could really use the help."  
  
She almost smiled in reply, but Kohaku pointed behind them and shouted, "Look out! Another one!"  
  
They turned just as a youkai the size of a house burst from the base of the watch tower building at their backs. Wood splinters showered down on them, as the youkai raised a large clawed hand and smacked the three, scattering them in different directions. Kohaku was the first to recover to his feet. He swung his chained scythe [A.N. sorry, I don't know what that weapon is called -_-;] and managed to lodge it in the beast's fleshy shoulder. It roared and jerked away from him, yanking the chain and scythe with him out of Kohaku's grasp. Before the demon could retaliate, Kohaku's father hurled a razor-edged metal ring and successfully severed one of the demon's four arms. The beast screamed as blood poured from the wound; it swung its remaining arms wildly, splintering another support beam to the large building it first emerged from.  
  
Sango was shaken by her impact with the wall, but regained her footing in time to see the youkai lash out at her father causing a large gash to appear on his vest. Knowing she couldn't take out the demon with just her boomerang, she noticed the splintering beams to the watch tower. Taking quick but careful aim, she launched her weapon one last time, breaking the main surviving support beam, bringing the large building down on their two heads. The sound was almost deafening; the cracking of the wood was like thunder to Sango's ears, but she curled up and covered her head with her hands and prepared for the collapse.  
  
~`~`~  
  
Sango woke to find only darkness. The dust stung her eyes and choked off her airway. She coughed harshly as she tried to move. A sharp jolt starting at the base of her neck ran rampant throughout her entire being, and she cried out in pain. Her legs felt like they were on fire as did her lungs. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see, she couldn't move. She was pinned to the ground on her back by a board pressing into her stomach, and every second that passed meant one less second she would live. Sango knew she had to get out.  
  
Testing her appendages, she found they all worked, though grudgingly. As she placed a hand on either side of the board and tried to push it off, a crunch sounded and the weight on her became even greater.  
  
'Oh, Kami, save me,' she shut her eyes which watered from the dust and despair, 'I feel like my back is going to snap.'  
  
The weight pressed down harder, mercilessly, and Sango cried out again, this time longer and more agonized. Just when she thought she'd pass out from the pain, the debris shifted again and the pressure let up. A thin sliver of light cut through and shone down on her dust covered form; Sango opened a bleary eye trying to see daylight again. It gave her renewed hope and energy.  
  
"Help! Somebody get me out!" Her voice wobbled and cracked but she tried again, "Please, help! *cough* I'm down here!"  
  
'Maybe I'm too far down. The others are too far away.'  
  
She grasped the beam pinning her and pushed as hard as she could, determined to free herself. Finally, she was able to remove the plank from her stomach and curl her knees to her chest. Sitting upright as best she could, she pushed up through the wood splinters and metal. Shoving the last board from her way, Sango emerged from the pile to find the moon shining down softly on what was left of her village. She had been trapped under the debris for perhaps several hours.  
  
She said nothing as the stars twinkled and glittered over the scene of destruction. Not a house was left standing. Not a body was left alive. Sango pulled her legs out of the rubble and climbed carefully down the jagged slope onto the blood soaked ground.  
  
The youkai were gone, but so were her father and brother. On shaky legs, Sango shuffled through the wreckage searching in shock for any survivors. Despite her best efforts, she knew there were none. Approaching the fallen building once more, the girl sifted through the ruins until she found her boomerang. Tying it on her back she left the village in search of help. She would come back to bury the dead, but for now, she needed to leave. That was all she thought to herself:  
  
'I need to leave.'  
  
~`~`~Several months later~`~`~  
  
The forest was serene and quiet as Sango made her way steadily to the north. There had been reports of youkai attacks in the establishments up there, and she made it a goal to stop them. Along the way, she had killed two vulture youkai, five serpent youkai, three bear youkai, and one youkai she was only able to identify as 'very bad'. That little encounter had left her with a twisted ankle, bruised rib, and a bad taste of blood in her mouth for a week. He'd been a juicy one. Sango sighed; it wasn't easy traveling alone.  
  
But that morning had found her in a rather upbeat mood. She hadn't seen or heard of any youkai attacks in this area for awhile, and it made her proud to know she'd made a difference. Now all she was focusing on were the North and the West.  
  
She crossed a creek on a log bridge; Sango hefted her pack and hiraikotsu to a better position on her shoulders as she stepped carefully on the wood. The air was warm and the sun was bright; she assumed the sky was blue for all she could see of it through the trees. As relaxed as Sango was, she knew to keep a sharp eye and ear for now she was entering into the Northern territory. There would be youkai here.  
  
After another thirty minutes of walking, Sango's calm returned to her and she soon began humming a tune lightly to herself. Coming to a large fallen tree in the path, she swung her pack off her shoulder along with her boomerang and set them down with her staff on the other side. Sango hoisted herself up and hopped over the molding wood and began to reclaim her things.  
  
She froze in mid-step. Her entire body went rigid at the sight of the large dog demon crouched not ten feet from her [A.N. no, not Fluffy or Yasha]. Sango's eyes became as wide as saucers as she set her raised foot down very slowly. Though the demon was staring straight at her and chances of escaping by sneaking away were completely gone, she didn't want to risk startling it into attacking. At a snail's pace she brought her staff in front of her, holding it tightly with both hands, readying herself for the moment when defense was needed.  
  
The dog demon didn't like this and rose to his feet with a low growl. Sango froze again, but now she saw the numerous wounds covering the beast. There were gashes on his arms and right shoulder, bruises accompanied them along with tears in his brown tunic. 'Great,' she thought, 'He's wounded. Makes 'em that much more dangerous.' He was much bigger than Sango; muscles were distributed fairly throughout his body, enough to intimidate any being of smaller stature, and he stood at least a foot taller than the sixteen year old. She mentally berated herself for being so careless about where she was going.  
  
The dog demon rumbled a growl of warning again as Sango shifted her footing slightly. Though the growl was hostile, Sango realized there was something about his eyes that seemed non-threatening. Something was off about his gaze, but she couldn't figure out what it was exactly. Taking a hesitant step back, Sango lowered her staff and bent to pick up her pack, preparing to put distance between her and the demon at least until she could use hiraikotsu. The demon mistook the movement for an attack and lunged at her. She yelped and fell backwards over the fallen tree with the dog demon following. She opened her eyes after reaching the rough ground to come face to face with the tanned skin and big brown eyes of the dog demon. His arms were on either sides of her head and his body pinned her down.  
  
She couldn't breathe, both because of his weight and her fear. And once again her bag of weapons was out of her reach. Neither moved; neither made a sound save for Sango's slightly labored breathing. After a moment passed and he still had not torn her apart, Sango's curiosity overcame her paralysis and she shifted a bit to try and get up. To her amazement, the demon allowed it, and once again she saw that same look in his eyes, that look of non-threatening. It was almost childlike. An 'eep' escaped her as he brought his nose to her neck and sniffed lightly; his breath tickled her sending chills down her back.  
  
Sango unwillingly giggled and pushed him away; she shuffled back putting a few feet between them. The demon plopped down and sat cross-legged, gazing at her with his head tilted; his shaggy brown hair falling out from behind his ear as he did so. She too stared at him perplexedly, completely baffled at his manner.  
  
'There's that look again,' she said perplexedly to herself, 'He's like a puppy-,' she stopped and slowly brought her fingers to her lips as she came to the sad realization. 'He _is_ a puppy. A child in a man's body.'  
  
She tried to smile at him, give him a friendly look and test out her theory, "Hi there. I'm Sango. What's your name?"  
  
The demon didn't say anything but responded with a lopsided grin. He seemed to have forgotten all about attacking her and was content with just sitting there observing his new company.  
  
The girl scooted forward nice and slow; with her fingertips she lightly touched a bruise on the demon's arm. He winced and shrunk away from her with tiny whimpers. It all but broke her heart to hear that, but she reached out again and placed her hand ever so softly over the injury and shushed him gently like a mother would to her child. The demon lifted his puppy eyes to her again, and cautiously resumed sniffing; his nose twitching as he did. It was rather cute and made Sango smile as she stroked him gently to calm him until he became less tense and didn't turn away from her anymore. He whimpered again sounding like a real puppy causing a tear to fall down Sango's cheek.  
  
Sango sat back; her breath coming out in a whoosh. 'He wouldn't have done me any harm..'  
  
Guilt swept through her and washed about her heart. Never before had she felt guilty about killing a demon, but never before had she met a demon like this. All Sango thought of when she first laid eyes on him was 'how long will it take to kill it?' She hadn't realized how heartless she'd become.  
  
His gentle brown eyes noticed her sudden change in mood and he slowly crept toward her on all fours. By now, Sango had both hands covering her eyes as she tried to stop angry tears from forming. She gasped and brought her hands away when she suddenly felt him nuzzling his head under her jaw. Before she could protest, he curled up, practically lying in her lap, with his head rested on her shoulder. Sango was quite hesitant and clueless as to what she should do. As she sat there pondering, she came to realize his breathing had evened and he hadn't stirred.  
  
'He's fallen asleep!' Surprise was written clearly on her face. Never in a million years did she ever expect a demon to fall asleep in her lap. Nevertheless, she dried her eyes on her shirt sleeve, tilted her head so it rested on his, and hesitantly curled her arms as best she could around his broad shoulders.  
  
She studied the numerous wounds on his being and pondered over their inflictor. 'Who would hurt someone so harmless?' She closed her eyes, 'I would have. I've never questioned a demon's intentions before,' she started to cry; 'I would have killed him, and he's perfectly innocent.'  
  
Sango nestled closer to the demon. She thought about her family, her training, and all the demons she'd killed. She thought about this demon; despite his size, he probably couldn't hurt a fly. She thought of her mission, her promise to the innocent people of the villages. The guilt of killing this demon swept through her again. And her mind was plagued with thoughts like:  
  
'So should I kill him? He _is_ a demon after all.'  
  
'If I don't, wouldn't it make me a hypocrite?'  
  
'But he can't possibly be of any harm to anyone. He's like a baby.'  
  
'I don't kill children.'  
  
'But is he really all that innocent? I just met him, after all.'  
  
She sighed heavily causing the demon to whimper and nuzzle closer to her. Sango lifted her gaze heavenward and mouthed 'why me?' Laying her head back on his and with a dark cloud hanging over her brow, she began to lightly hum the tune she had started earlier that morning.  
  
~`~`~  
  
A.N.: Okey, spokey, dokey. This first chapter is short. So sue me. Next time, she'll give the demon a name, since he doesn't seem to have one. I'd love to name him 'Innocence' in Japanese, but unfortunately, I have an extremely limited vocabulary of that culture, so don't be surprised if he doesn't get a Japanese name. Sorry*sweat drop*. Also, I think Fluffy might be in the next chapter. Maybe. I dunno. I haven't really mapped out this entire story, but I do have a good idea where it'll go. Well, to a certain point. After that, I'm stumped. Heh heh *nervous look. 


	2. Sacrifice

A.N.: Um, okay, I've decided on a name for the dog demon, but it's not innocence. Too bad, I would have liked that. So I found one that I think means 'pure son' which is close enough.. I guess.  
  
Disclaimer: um, no..  
  
~`~`~`~  
  
Light huffs of air trailed over Sango's cheek and neck as she slept under the rays of the rising sun. The huffing continued and the demon exterminator groan and swatted absently at it only to come in contact with a warm face. With a squeal, she was startled into a sitting position and her forehead ended up thumping into a strong chest leaning over her. Her eyes opened and lifted to meet big brown orbs and a lopsided smile. The dog demon resumed sniffing her jaw causing her to giggle from the sensation again.  
  
Tenderly, she pushed him back as she moved herself to a tree for a backrest. Still giggling she asked, "Why do you do that?"  
  
He, of course, didn't answer. Sango wasn't sure he could even understand her let alone talk. "Geez, I might as well call you sniffles." The large demon settled next to her and leaned on her shoulder pushing her over under his weight.  
  
Sango smiled perplexedly and shook her head, 'He's probably going to fall asleep again.'  
  
Just as she finished that thought, he yipped in surprised and jumped to his feet nearly startling the poor girl out of her skin. In bemusement, she watched him hop over the fallen log and dart after a large yellow and blue butterfly flopping lackadaisically through the air. Still slightly groggy, Sango rose to her feet to watch the spectacle, and found upon looking over the log that the demon had run off through the forest after the colored insect. Though she didn't know why, Sango gathered her things and followed after him.  
  
After a few minutes of searching, she found him sitting cross-legged in a small clearing, the butterfly roosted on his finger tip, another perched on his head, and yet another was on his shoulder. All the while, a beam of sunlight had broken through the canopy and it now pooled in a circle down on the demon and butterflies. He sniffed lightly at the one on his finger and the insect promptly flew away through the opening in the tree branches.  
  
Sango furrowed her brow. 'Blissful innocence..' She walked over to the demon and sat before him; he had been watching the butterfly leave, but switched his attention to her when she approached. Looking into his deep brown eyes, Sango whispered, "Junko, we should get moving. I'd like to reach the northwestern lands by sundown."  
  
Despite the fact he never seemed to understand words, he did understand actions; seeing her collect her things, he started climbing to his feet, shedding the remaining butterflies. Junko grinned his slightly off grin and followed after his shorter companion.  
  
'Junko, yes that name would do just fine.' Sango nodded and smiled as her adopted companion bounded a few paces ahead sniffing at trees and flowered bushes.  
  
~`~`~`~  
  
"You told me you killed _all_ of them," the silky voice held a dangerous undertone; the soldier that stood before him began to doubt his own courage.  
  
"We did - my lord," he added the title quickly as an afterthought. Naraku turned on this so called "ruthless killer", his dark eyes piercing deep into the man's soul.  
  
"You say you killed all the tai-ji-ya, yet youkai have been slaughtered left and right for months. It isn't everyday that a simple farmer picks up a sword and executes several demons much larger than himself. Who else would it be?"  
  
The fighter began to sweat; it trickled down his temple and stopped at the stubble of facial hair at his jaw. He could only manage a stutter in reply. The dark haired lord sighed impatiently and snapped his fingers. From the shadows of the room, a figure cloaked in black emerged, and before the soldier could react, his head rolled to the floor, the bloodied scythe of the figure dripping over his corpse.  
  
Naraku didn't even blink. His back turned from the gore, he muttered, "Clean that up." Setting his attention out the bay window to the sun falling low past the tree line, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Collect the others and find the warriors that are still alive," he called back over his shoulder, "The number of youkai is dwindling. And it's hard to find good help these days," he added with a smirk.  
  
The shadow figure nodded silently, draped his cloak over the corpse and they both melted into the floor boards leaving not a drop of blood behind.  
  
Naraku settled into a large cushioned chair, his thoughts drifting to his remaining allies. There was still one youkai left he had yet to convert to his regime. It wasn't that he truly needed the Lord of the Western Territories, but his support couldn't hurt. The dark-haired lord grinned slightly as he pictured the world, the future, without humans, and he, Naraku would rule it all. But only after he destroyed every demon exterminator and miko.  
  
~`~`~`~  
  
Sango's upper body was drenched with water from Junko's sudden urged to run splashing across the stream; wiping the dripping hair that lay plastered to her face she glared up at those puppy dog eyes. Her daggered look didn't faze him as he grinned and ran off splashing again. The soggy warrior stood from her place at the bank and wrung out the front of her tunic; Junko's steps became jerky and staggered as he slapped at the water every couple seconds.  
  
'Chasing minnows, no doubt.' Sango smiled and shook her head as she strode back up the sloped embankment to collect her things. She shrugged on her pack and hiraikotsu, picked up her staff, and started to continue along the stream shore. Junko suddenly ran up from behind her and snatched her pack away.  
  
"Hey! No! Drop that now!" she charged after him, forced to leave her staff and boomerang behind. "Junko, no! Stop! Drop it!"  
  
He laughed and tossed the bag in the air only to miss catching it causing it to fall into the stream. Sango caught up to him then and grabbed his arm, jerking him around to face her, "Junko! Why did you do that?!" He let out a giggle and poked her in the stomach, "Ow! Stop!" Sango was about to berate him when she realized her pack was being carried away by the current.  
  
"Damn! See what you did?!" she yelled, the smiled beginning to fade from the demon's face, "Don't do that again! Why do have to be such a pain?!" She pushed past him and ran after her belongings leaving a teary eyed Junko behind.  
  
Around another bend, in a deeper pool of water, Sango found her pack bobbing along the surface; with a sigh of relief she reached over and fished it from the cold water. As she squeeze what she could from the soppy bag, Sango's attention suddenly darted to the very tall, very dangerous looking demon standing not ten feet from her just on the opposite bank. He flexed his claws, his long white haired fluttered across his shoulders; his cold golden eyes promised painful death at the human who dared invade his space.  
  
'How did I fail to notice him?' was all Sango could think; her legs wouldn't move, nor would any other muscle for that matter. It didn't make much of a difference, though. She knew she could never out run this demon. It was obvious by the clothes he wore, the way he carried himself, and the haughty look about him that he was royalty. A taiyoukai was next to impossible for anyone to defeat, even if she was a demon exterminator. Sango mentally berated herself for leaving her staff and hiraikotsu behind.  
  
She had a few smaller weapons in her pack, but she'd be torn to shreds before she could undo the first buckle. A low growl rumbled from the inu- youkai and Sango took the tiniest step back. It cost her her footing and the extra movement caused the demon lord to charge; and before Sango even realized she'd slipped, the demon had his clawed hand clasped around her throat and held her face level to him, which was, in fact, a couple feet off the ground for her.  
  
In a low murmured he growled, "How dare you enter my land." Sango choked in reply. He bared his fangs, "I will make you regret every step you took across my border." His grip tightened and Sango's vision began to blur as her head started pounding. The vein on her forehead stood out and her face turned a certain shade of violet; she was about to pass out from lack of air when the demon lord's eyes darted to the right. A large body flung itself at the taiyoukai and surprisingly knocked him off his feet successfully causing him to drop Sango. The lord recovered instantaneously though; he whirled around and dug his claws deep into the back of his attacker and flung him roughly against a large oak.  
  
Through chokes for air and cries of horror, Sango called out, "Junko!"  
  
The taiyoukai ignored the human for now and closed in on the fallen attacker. Junko, though bloodied and weak, staggered to his feet, fangs bared, growls emitting from deep in his chest. He moved to stand between the tall demon and Sango, but was stopped by a harsh blow to the face; the white haired demon's claws raking across his cheek, sending him sprawled to the ground. Sango had retrieved her bag and pulled out several throwing knives hurling a couple at the turned back of the rival demon. He spun around catching one, the other grazing his shoulder. Sango stood on shaky legs and brandished her scythes, taking a fighting stance. The demon lord seemed unfazed by this, but his attention was once again stolen by another. A short bugged eyed demon burst from the foliage shouting, "Sesshoumaru- sama! Sesshoumaru-sama! Lord Naraku has asked to speak with you! He is waiting at the castle!"  
  
This apparently perturbed the taiyoukai a great deal for he seemed unable to decide which was the more important matter at hand. Finally, he chose the other and left Sango with the threat of: "If I find you again, you will suffer worse than your companion."  
  
With both the lord and his toady gone, Sango dropped her weapons and ran to Junko's fallen form.  
  
"Oh, Kami! Junko, I am so sorry! Please stay with me. Please just stay alive.."  
  
She did what she could to stop the bleeding; the fact he was a youkai helped a bit, but his wounds were healing very slowly. Patching them up as best she could, all Sango could do was wait. She stayed by his side all night; he remained in a sleep she was unsure he would even wake from, and all she could think about were the last angry words she had spoken to him.  
  
~`~`~`~  
  
A.N.: Sad, I know. And don't think I won't kill off main characters! Personally, I like that kind of drama. After all, people die. Doesn't matter if you are "really cute" or "such a nice person". Death comes to those who wait. Heh heh.. Anyway, sorry it took awhile for this chapter. I forgot why I started writing this fic. I still don't remember but, hey, I'll give it a try. Also, though I don't like short chapters in other fics, I find it easier to write this way, sorry. I never said wasn't a hypocrite.  
  
:P 


End file.
